Fallen Hero (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 3)

“But I cannot just sit here and do nothing,” Elspeth protested.

“Maybe you should be thinking about this house, and what might be so appealing about it that Voss and Frederick are prepared to murder for it,” Aaron suggested. “I don’t care what you do, go through everything, search everywhere, look at all of your father’s old papers, we have to check the attics, and old boxes, and cases for anything that might be hidden. We have to check everything, Elspeth, if we are to find out what they want. It isn’t just the bricks and mortar here, that much is certain. There is something more.”

“Do you think they might believe the three thousand pounds is here?” Elspeth gulped at the thought that she might have spent the last several weeks living in the house with so much money directly over her head, and not even realised.

“I think it might be hidden in here somewhere, yes. We haven’t checked the attic yet,” Aaron said.

“But Thomas left as soon as he had been to the bank,” Elspeth protested.

“No. Someone saw him leave, but that isn’t to say he didn’t come back when nobody was looking, or nobody noticed him returning to the house briefly. He could have come and gone without even you knowing, Elspeth. I mean, he is hardly likely to stroll in here with a bag containing three thousand pounds tucked under his arm, and calmly announce to you that he is going to stash it in the attic where it is safe, is he? You would have a conniption,” Aaron muttered.

Elspeth wanted to argue, but knew he was right.

“Do you think he came back?” she asked hopefully.

“I think we have to keep searching. Something is here because you are stunning, gorgeous in every way, and definitely marriage-worthy, but enough to kill for?” Aaron shook his head. “There is more.”

His gut told him there was a lot more to this mystery, and his gut was never wrong.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Night,” Aaron whispered at her bed chamber door. He bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

Elspeth gasped, and instinctively leaned toward him. “Promise me you will get some sleep as well?”

“I promise,” he smiled. It was wonderful that she was concerned for his welfare. “The men will too when they get back.”

“What is it?” she asked when she saw his hesitation. Her heart skipped a beat when his gaze fell to her lips. She was doomed to disappointment, though, because he began to speak rather than kiss her as she had hoped.

His smile dimmed for a few moments. “I have to go home to check my paperwork. I need to see if Thomas left me any note or parcels or anything. Would you come with me?”

He wanted to get her out of the house for a while, if only so the men could ransack the entire house without her being aware. If they went through everything with a fine toothcomb Elspeth would never know. They could also go after Voss and Frederick and challenge them, and Elspeth would be safe, and well away from the area.

Elspeth nodded without even realising she had moved. “I need to get out of here for a while, I think. Maybe we cannot see what is directly under our noses because we are so close,” she suggested.

Aaron nodded. “I think a bit of distance from here might make us see things a bit more clearly, I agree. It is important we go and find out if Thomas left me something. What we are looking for might be waiting for me at home.”

Elspeth smiled, and was suddenly flooded with unexpected excitement. She had never been to Aaron’s house before and looked forward to being able to see where he called home.

“I should like that,” she breathed.

Aaron smiled and couldn’t resist the urge to press another kiss to her lips.

“Get some sleep. We will go first thing in the morning. We should reach my house by mid-day if we set out early. The quicker we get there the sooner we can get answers,” Aaron urged softly against her lips.

Gently, after one last kiss, he slowly released her and made his way to his own bed chamber further along the corridor. He wanted nothing more than to follow her into her bed chamber, and claim her as his once and for all, so there could be no further doubt in her mind as to the solidity of their future together. A part of him wanted Elspeth to want more from him. For now, he was prepared to wait for her to realise the kisses they shared were not enough to assuage the growing hunger between them. Until that time arrived, he had to be patient, and remain content with the knowledge that he was at least several steps closer to persuading her to take a chance on a future together.

Elspeth let herself into her bed chamber and closed the door behind her. Alone, in a cold and empty room was the last place she wanted to be right now. It remind

ed her of the bleak days of her life between Thomas’s death and Aaron’s arrival. She couldn’t bear to even contemplate how desolate her life had been then.

With a sigh, she found her thickest shawl and let herself back out of the room. Quietly, she made her way back downstairs to Thomas’s study. At his desk, she sighed heavily but picked a handful of the closest papers and began to read.

At some point during the night she must have fallen asleep. Whatever it was that woke her made her jolt instantly to awareness with the distinct knowledge that something was wrong. She was not alone. It was odd because when she opened her eyes there was nobody else in the room. But Elspeth knew she was being watched, and it wasn’t the welcome, comfortable feeling she usually had when Aaron was near. Frozen, Elspeth blinked sleep out of her eyes and listened to the frightened pounding of her thundering heart. She struggled to contain her nerves. Her mind raced for something she could use to protect herself from whoever was standing behind her. Elspeth knew someone was nearby. She could feel their presence. Besides, the small hairs were standing up on the back of her head, and there was a cold breeze flickering across her bare shoulder.

Closing her eyes, she began to pray that it was all a figment of her imagination. She was still asleep, she had to be. But she wasn’t. She knew she was wide awake, and this was no dream.

In one smooth motion, she gasped, vaulted out of her chair and spun around. Lunging toward the hearth she lifted a heavy poker and held it aloft only to whirl around and find nobody there. What she did see, but only for the briefest of seconds, was a figure, dressed entirely in black, standing on the other side of the window. It wasn’t the figure that drew a scream from the very depths of her soul – it was the face she recognised instantly: Thomas.